Jungle Fight 33 Putting MMA in God’s City

Anyone who saw the acclaimed Brazilian film “City of God” could
never have imagined that someday one of the most violent slums in
Rio de Janeiro would play host to a mixed martial arts event under
the Jungle
Fight promotion’s banner.

In actuality, until roughly a year ago, it would not have been
possible, as Cidade de Deus was a very similar place to what was
shown in the movie. However, since Rio de Janeiro’s governor
launched the Unidade de Policia Pacificadora project -- which
called for sending special police units into crime-riddled areas --
16 slums in the city have been taken out of the hands of drug
dealers, and the situation has changed completely. The governor has
provided his support to any entertainment event willing to touch
down in slums once dominated by the dealers.

The growth in popularity of MMA in Brazil led Jungle Fight promoter
Wallid
Ismail to the idea of producing Jungle Fight shows in all slums
involved in the UPP project. The first such event, Jungle
Fight 33, will take place this Saturday in Cidade de Deus.

“Man, we are really motivated by these shows. I’m really impressed
with the way the people in Cidade de Deus embraces the event.
That’s why we decided to come up with a contest to choose a ring
girl from the community,” said co-promoter Bebeo Duarte, Ismail’s
right-hand man.

Duarte showed Sherdog.com the venue where the event will take
place, right in front of UPP headquarters.

“A few years ago, this place was the headquarters of the drug
dealers,” said Duarte, who guaranteed that, in 2012, Jungle Fight
will promote shows in each of the 16 communities that received the
UPP treatment. “Now, there is no violence here anymore. Once, this
court was the only big place in the slum with a roof, so we decided
to use it, but the area is not that big.

“We can fit, at most, 2,500 people in here; that’s why we are
requesting that fans watch the show on the Combat channel, as it
will be broadcast live,” he added. “We want to provide the people
from City of God with the opportunity to see the show at home.”

Duarte also talked about the spread of MMA in the communities of
Rio.

“Ten years ago, vale tudo was practiced by middle class people who
could train jiu-jitsu or muay Thai,” he said. “Today, this reality
has changed. If you look around, most fighters from this new
generation come from slums.”